Now! Then! 2024! - Yorkshire On This Day

Excerpt

That Leeds City Council opposes any attempt to site, manufacture, or transport any nuclear weapons, or systems relating to the operation, construction or manufacture of such weapons or parts thereof within the Region of Yorkshire and Humberside. That Leeds City Council opposes the siting, manufacturing, or transporting of any nuclear weapons, or systems relating to the operation, construction or manufacture of such weapons or parts thereof within the Region of Yorkshire and Humberside…. That this resolution be sent to the prime minister, the presidents of the USA and the USSR, Leeds MPs, the EMP for Leeds, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, the AMA and the local authorities of Leeds’ twin towns, with the promise of full support for all those who are willing to co-operate with these initiatives for peace.

Comment

Comment

Via Matt Povey’s posts on Leeds and the bomb here and here. Editor Bryan North discovered the former while in a bar in Spain and commented:

My grandfather served in the 1st world war and often told me of the ignorance of the troops fighting the war. My sole intention was to educate the people on the facts of a nuclear war and to leave them to make EDUCATED decisions. I was under tremendous pressure to slant the booklet pro CND or pro Home Office. I wanted the booklet to be unbiased, factual and truthful. I brought in Water, Electricity, BMA, etc. to a point that they all agreed that our findings were based on fact and information at the time. It then could not be challenged on its conclusions. I took the first copies to various houses in Leeds,total strangers, left them a copy and asked if I could call them for their views. A full set of A4 posters became very collectable. I produced a sequel, Leeds under a Cloud. Copies should be available in the library and Planning Dept, Leeds. I released copyright as i was aware if we (Labour)lost political control the opposition would block its reproduction. It was reproduced in Zaandam (Holland), Boulder (Colorado), and numerous other cities worldwide. I have met many people who were given the booklet to study as part of GCSE exams etc. I was born in Leeds, went to school in south Leeds, no secondary education. I retired from the Council in Dec 2003, I now spend a lot of time travelling abroad. It was really nice to happen onto your blog. It in part vindicated what I set out to achieve. The Lord Mayor’s office in Leeds have my contact details. Kind regards to all readers, Bryan North (Povey 2009/02/27).

See also Bradford and the bomb, Kirklees and the bomb, etc. etc. I recall accusations that these were all copy-pasted as part of a CND or Communist plot, but haven’t investigated.

Here’s Patrick Allen narrating one of UK Gov’s Protect and Survive information films:

And here he is parodying himself in Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Two Tribes:

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Original

POLICY DECIDED BY LEEDS CITY COUNCIL, 24th JUNE, 1981
(a) That Leeds City Council opposes any attempt to site, manufacture, or transport any nuclear weapons, or systems relating to the operation, construction or manufacture of such weapons or parts thereof within the Region of Yorkshire and Humberside.
b) That Leeds City Council opposes the siting, manufacturing, or transporting of any nuclear weapons, or systems relating to the operation, construction or manufacture of such weapons or parts thereof within the Region of Yorkshire and Humberside.
(c) That the inhabitants of Leeds should be adequately informed of the nature and risks of a nuclear attack and should be fully aware of the measures that have been taken to help them in such an emergency and the probable results of such measures.
(d) That the Council calls upon the Government to give priority in the allocation of funds for Home Defence and/or Emergency Planning to initiatives for the prevention of a nuclear war and to peace-time emergency planning.
(e) That a Special Committee of the City Council be set up to implement the resolution of the City Council of 30th July, 1980 to include representatives of Housing, Planning, Education, Social Services, Environmental Health Committees with power to co-opt.
(f) That this resolution be sent to the Prime Minister, the Presidents of the USA and the USSR, Leeds MPs, the EMP for Leeds, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, the [Association of Metropolitan Authorities] and the Local Authorities of Leeds twin towns, with the promise of full support for all those who are willing to co-operate with these initiatives for peace.

273 words.

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• Conservative Party (1834-) (22) ·
• First Thatcher ministry (2) ·
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• 📌Leeds (235) ·
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• Margaret Thatcher (3) ·
• NATO Double-Track Decision (1) ·
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• RSD-10 Pioneer (1) ·
• Ronald Reagan (1) ·
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• UGM-27 Polaris (1) ·
• United Kingdom (1) ·
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